The Magrath Trek Recap video was produced and premièred at the Magrath Stake Sat 25 Oct 2014 evening conference session ..

Magrath Sun 26 Oct 2014: "Stayed up to 1am last night telling Ma (because she had to work at DW till 11pm) all about the great talks at the Sat night [conference] session .. Adrien had played her flute as part of the youth choir final number (great job, eh) and Pa was quoted a few times in the Trek video (Ma was too shy to go on camera). Even saw a bunch of our treklings there in the audience and in the choir and in the video! Sweet

Video is posted on the facebook.com/magrathtrek site already at facebook.com/video.php?v=791644410893530&set=vb.558231247568182&&theater

Ma was surprised they got a good shot of the old guitelele .. and of us holding hands on the final walk out of the valley .. and what a great bunch of kids! As Bro Evans said as he started his talk last night, "my trek family was the best" .. I concur - ours was too! No wonder all my talks in July and thereafter reference trek somehow .."

Monday 28 July 2014

My Good Trek Family Children,

Daughters: Hope, Faith, Charity, Grace, Mercy, Harmony and Felicity
and Sons: Lehi, Ammon, Mormon, Mosiah and Nephi

I trust this letter and package finds you each in good health and condition. Three short weeks ago we packed up the family handcart and tent and crossed the bridge out of the valley as a trek family. I know it seems like an eternity ago, but even after all this time, we still we think of each of you often.

Two weeks ago many of your youth along with ever so many other dedicated stake members, on the trail and behind the scenes, participated in an amazing Camp of Israel re-enactment – Magrath Stake Trek 2014. I was blessed to be able to go, along with my good wife, as one of the 20 'Ma and Pa' families. We were assigned an amazing youth captain and 11 additional 'trek children', a handcart and our family food, water and supplies. We did not find out who was assigned to our 'trek family' until the morning we arrived to depart on trek. One of our young 'trek daughters' later confessed, to her own parents, to thinking to herself; “Oh no, we got the OLD parents!”. I suspect many of her 'trek siblings' initially entertained the same thought. For my part, despite not knowing their names and faces before we started, I experienced an unexpected overpowering feeling of family love and concern for our 'trek family', days before we even met them. That 'trek family' bond only increased as we worked and talked and prayed together along the trail. I suspect that this spirit was a result of the preparation, faith and prayers of our dedicated stake leaders and the stake fast held for our youth that weekend that you all participated in. The entire event for me, while physically challenging, was a spiritual feast at every turn. Getting a chance to get to know just a few of your amazing children was a marvellous experience for my wife and I. It was also telling that almost to a person afterwards, each participant felt that their own 'trek family' had been the 'best family on trek'.